Problem in Rome
1.Many Roman writers commented on he toxicity of lead, but chronic lead poisoning was not recorded until the 7th century AD.
2.The reason the Romans liked to use lead in their pipes is because of the fact that its very easily mailable and has a low melting point. Lead can easily melt in a campfire.
3.The Romans sweetened and preserved there wine and other products with lead acetate(a crushed form of lead).
4.Even though the Romans knew that lead could cause serious health problems they continued to use it because of its numerous uses. They limited their exposer to it but they were not aware that frequent low level exposer could cause lead poisoning.
5.Miners that mined lead often fell sick due to their everyday exposer to lead. Romans used many slaves o mine the lead, many died.
6.Lead was the main ingredient in many face powder, mascaras, rouges, and other roman beauty products.
7.The Romans used lead in their paints. This contributed to the expression "crazy as a painter."
8.Romans boiled down their wine in pots to one half or one third it's volume. They used this syrup to sweeten and preserve things. When boiling the Romans much more preferred to use lead or lead lined pots because in their opinion yielded a better taste. This was do to the lead acetate that was formed during the boiling process.
9.The Romans named the condition of ones mood being gloomy and depressed most of the time due to the intoxication by the use or exposer of lead "lead saturnine." They did this because they linked the metal to their deity Saturn.
Lead poisoning Today
1.Today many in the USA are exposed to lead which causes lead poisoning. The two main ways people in the USA are exposed to lead are through lead based paint and lead contaminated dust. Also some come into contact with lead through drinking water running through old lead water pipes.
2.There is no safe level of lead. Any amount is harmful.
3.4 million households have children living in them that are being exposed to lead. About 500,000 of those children live in the USA.
4. 5 micrograms of lead per deciliter in a child's blood is the amount announced by the CDC that is significant enough to offer aid and to have a worker come and identify then fix the source of lead contamination.
5. In addition to completely lead plumbing pipes used in very old houses there are brass or other metal pipes joined together with solder containing lead. Solder containing lead has been used in more recent houses than completely lead pipes.
6.Soil in areas near old smelting factories can contain high amounts of lead because of toxic lead dust that has fallen to the ground over years of the factory smelting lead and other metals.
7.Because much of the lead contamination in USA water supplies comes from old lead pipes or old pipes with lead solder, if we could replace the old pipes with new pipes that do not contain any lead we could eliminate the major source of contamination.
8.Many sources of lead contamination today come from old houses painted with lead paint. To get rid of lead paint it needs to be sanded away and have all the debris vacuumed and stored to be taken away to a safe storage area. Then a lead test needs to be done to determine if the house needs further cleaning. If not then the house must be restored then the family can move back in to a house.
9.Many use carbon water filters to try to filter lead out of their water.
Email to Dr.Hornung
Dr.Hornung,
Hello, my name is Noah Breitenbecher and I am a seventh grade student at Nagel Middle School in Cincinnati Ohio. In our Social Studies class we are doing a project were we research an ancient roman problem, and how the problem exists today. After we research the problem we have to come up with a solution to the problem I have been assigned For this assignment I have been assigned the problem of ancient Roman lead poisoning. I understand that you specialize in the assessment of environmental exposer to different stimuli and chemicals. I have a few questions about how people are exposed to lead today.
1.Out of the different ways people today are exposed to lead, which source of contamination is the most common?
2.What are the main ways to help eliminate exposer to lead after you know the source of it?
3.How common are cases of lead poisoning today, relative to other types of environmental poisonings?
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Noah Breitenbecher
Reply Hi Noah I think you were given a very interesting topic. I'll try to answer your questions, but I suggest that you also get additional detail from the web. There are a lot of good sources: Wikipedia, US EPA, etc. Q1: The most common source of lead exposure is from dust and chips from lead-based paint. Lead in paint was banned in 1978, so the primary exposure is to children living in homes built before that date. Pre-school children, especially toddlers, are at highest risk since they tend to put everything in their mouths. Other sources of lead exposure include soil, water (from lead pipes), imported toys, dust in the air. Primary exposure to adults comes from the workplace (battery recycling, manufacture of products containing lead) and indoor firing ranges. Q2: Lead in the home can be controlled by repainting with non-lead paints and renovation of older homes. However, much care must be taken when renovating since lead dust in the air can actually be increased by sanding and removal of walls painted with older lead-based paint. Parents should be very careful when purchasing toys imported from China and other countries that still permit lead in paint. Q3: Lead poisoning is still fairly common with as many as 5% of young children with blood lead levels exceeding the federal guidelines. This is a particular problem in the inner city because the homes tend to be older and still have lead-based paint. This level of exposure does not cause acute effects, but can result in reduction in IQ and behavioral disorders. Acute poisoning symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, headaches, and even seizures are caused by much higher levels of lead exposure and thankfully are not very common. I hope this helps with your project. Good luck, Rick Hornung
Email to Kimberly Yolton, PhD
Dr.Yolton
Hello, my name is Noah Breitenbecher and I am a seventh grade student at Nagel Middle school. In our social studies class we are doing a project where we are assigned a problem in Ancient Rome and have to research it as a problem then and a problem now. After we research the problem we have to come up with a solution to the problem. I have been assigned the problem of lead poisoning. I understand that you specialize in environmental exposer along with infant and child behavior and development. I have some questions about how lead poisoning is a problem today.
1.I know that lead poisoning has a stronger effect on young children. Does the age of the young child have an effect on how dangerous being exposed to lead is? For example both an infant and a two year old are at higher risk of negative effects of lead poisoning than an adult, but does the infant have an even higher chance of stronger negative effects from being exposed to lead?
2.At the most common rate of lead poisoning, how long does it take to have noticeable side affects from the lead poisoning?
3.What is the best way to protect yourself from lead poisoning?
Thank you so much for your time. Sincerely, Noah Breitenbecher
Relpy
Dr.Yolton
Hello, my name is Noah Breitenbecher and I am a seventh grade student at Nagel Middle school. In our social studies class we are doing a project where we are assigned a problem in Ancient Rome and have to research it as a problem then and a problem now. After we research the problem we have to come up with a solution to the problem. I have been assigned the problem of lead poisoning. I understand that you specialize in environmental exposer along with infant and child behavior and development. I have some questions about how lead poisoning is a problem today.
1.I know that lead poisoning has a stronger effect on young children. Does the age of the young child have an effect on how dangerous being exposed to lead is? For example both an infant and a two year old are at higher risk of negative effects of lead poisoning than an adult, but does the infant have an even higher chance of stronger negative effects from being exposed to lead?
Young children are more vulnerable to the effects of lead as well as other environmental toxicants for several reasons. First, they are lower to the ground, where most of these toxicants collect on floors and other surface areas. Second, young children frequently put their hands and toys or other objects in their mouths. In fact, this is one way in which young children explore their environments and learn about their world. Third, young children have larger surface areas by weight than older children or adults. So their lung volume is greater, they drink proportionately more water and other liquids, their skin covers a larger surface area, etc. this just means there is more to become contaminated. Fourth, lead is a central nervous system toxicant. That means it acts primarily on the brain. Our brains grow and develop very rapidly when we are infants and young children. Because the brain changes so much during this period or development, it is also more vulnerable to insults and things that can change it. According to the work done by lead researchers, children are most susceptible to lead exposure between the ages of about 12 months and 36 months. If you have seen children in this age range, you know that they are often crawling on floors, using tables and other surfaces for support when walking, and putting their hands in their mouths a lot. This is how most children become exposed to lead. Lead has a sweet taste, so children may even look for peeling paint chips once they have gotten a taste for them. More specifically to your question, the smallest infants, the ones who are not yet crawling around, in contact with contaminated floors and toys, and putting their hands in their mouths, are actually more protected from lead exposure because they are not exposure as readily.
2.At the most common rate of lead poisoning, how long does it take to have noticeable side affects from the lead poisoning?
This is a great question but very difficult to answer. Every child is different in how he/she will respond to exposure to lead. A friend of mine (Dr. Nick Newman) is a pediatrician who treats children with lead exposure. He uses high blood pressure as an analogy when talking with families. A person with high blood pressure is more likely to have a stroke, but it does not mean they will definitely have a stroke - ever. Lead exposure is similar. Being exposed to lead and having a high lead level means simply that a child is more likely to show the effects, not definitely. As you probably know, lead levels are measured in blood. The Centers for Disease Control has recently lowered the “reference level” for lead to 5 micrograms/deciliter of blood. They previously used a “level of concern” that was 10 micrograms/deciliter. The use of the new the term “reference level” helps us understand that there really is no safe level of exposure to lead. Researchers have shown that the effects of lead exposure can even be seen in children with levels below this 5 microgram/deciliter level. The general rule is no lead exposure is the preference. Children whose levels are high in early childhood may not show signs until later. The effects of lead exposure typically show up more readily when children are in school. This is when they need to sit still and pay attention for long periods to listen to a teacher, follow specific directions, and use problem solving skills. Lead has been found to affect attention, learning skills, reading, thought and problem solving (cognition), and behavior in children and also in teens and adults. In fact, there are even very clear links between early lead exposure in childhood and criminal behavior in adulthood.
3.What is the best way to protect yourself from lead poisoning?
The absolute best way to protect children against lead poisoning is to avoid lead exposure! That sounds silly, I know, but prevention is possible. Children are usually exposed to lead in older homes with peeling paint or other types of deteriorating surfaces. The reason that older homes are problematic is that lead used to be included in paint. Lead was banned from paint in 1978, so homes built after that date are more likely to be free of lead-based paint products. Pediatricians often ask parents how old their homes are when they do a lead screening with their child patients. This is the main reason. As you may know, lead used to also be added to gasoline that was used in cars. It was then easily inhaled from the fumes of the cars. Lead was eliminated from gas in 1996. Because lead is a naturally occurring element that does not deteriorate, lead from gas and paint still lingers in the soil. When homes are tested for lead, they are usually inspected on the inside for peeling paint that may contain lead, and also on the outside for soil that may include lead-based paint chips or lead from gas. If we can make sure that homes are in good repair and that paint is stabilized, many of the problems with lead will disappear.
Thank you so much for your time.
Sincerely,
Noah Breitenbecher
Hello, my name is Noah Breitenbecher. I am a seventh grade student at Nagel Middle school in Cincinnati Ohio. We are doing a project in our social studies class, where we research a problem in ancient Rome and try to come up with a solution to the problem. I have been assigned the problem of lead poisoning in Rome. I understand that you specialize in ancient Roman history and would like to ask you a few questions.
1.I have heard from several online sources that after a point in time the Romans knew lead was poisonous to them, but continued to use it in various ways. Do you know to what extent that they knew that lead was poisonous, and if they knew why they continued to use it?
2.Did the frequent cases of lead poisoning contribute to the downfall of the Roman Empire?
3.In what ways did the Romans expose themselves to lead besides through paints, beauty products, their lead water pipes, and through the process by which they boil their wine down to one half or one third the volume in a lead or lead lined pot?
Thank you so much for your time. Sincerely, Noah Breitenbecher
Reply Dear Noah,
I passed your enquiry on to my wife Veronika Grimm, who knows much more about this than I do. I am forwarding her reply. Good luck with your project.
Best wishes John Matthews
Dear Noah, I wish you good luck with your project on the Roman Empire. A few suggestions for your research: 1. Do not believe everything you see on the internet. 2. Do your own research and thinking.
To start your research you should look up Vitruvius 8. 6. 10; Pliny the Elder Natural History, 14.136, 32,68. These will give you a good start.
The Romans knew at least two metals or metal alloys that we translate to English as lead: Plumbum Ater and Plumbum Album, the dark lead is probably what we call lead; the white one is most likely tin, which is not poisonous. Water pipes were most likely lead which soon was covered - at least cold water pipes - with deposits from hard water, making the water less harmful. The Romans had no sugar, for sweetening they used honey (expensive) or boiled down grape juice or wine. It was suggested by some Roman culinary experts that this boiling should be done in lead-lined vessels. We do not know how many people followed the gourmet advice, and even if they followed it the defrutum, the resulting sweetener, was used in small amounts.
It has been suggested that lead poisoning contributed to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, I think you should reject this hypothesis. The Western Roman Empire fell in the fifth century CE for a great multitude of causes (lead not among them); The other half, the Eastern Roman Empire lasted another one thousand years, with the same exposure to lead. Moreover the various Gothic, Vandal, etc., kingdoms that replaced the Western Empire emulated the Romans in their customs, food, drink, baths etc.
The United States could be said to have suffered from serious amounts of lead in house paint in car exhaust fumes etc. until the later part of the 20th century, when unleaded gasoline was introduced (not without loud opposition) and lead was eliminated from house paint. You may wonder what all that lead did to us (and there is quite an extensive literature on it).
A good historian learns early in his/her research career that life, that is, history is very complex and there is no one cause solution to such a monumental problem of what made a very successful and excellent empire, one that all people admired and tried to emulate, totter and fall.
Final Project
Roman Time Machine Lead Poisoning Final ProjectSources Cited in MLA Format
"Lead Poisoning and Rome." Lead Poisoning and Rome. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013. <http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/wine/leadpoisoning.html>.
Lewis, Jack. "Lead Poisoning: A Historical Perspective." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013. <http://www.epa.gov/history/topics/perspect/lead.html>.
Retief, Francois, and Louise P. Cilliers. "Lead Poisoning in Ancient Rome." Lead Poisoning in Ancient Rome. N.p., 10 Aug. 2010. Web. 14 Jan. 2013. <http://historyoftheancientworld.com/2010/08/lead-poisoning-in-ancient-rome/>.
Problem in Rome
1.Many Roman writers commented on he toxicity of lead, but chronic lead poisoning was not recorded until the 7th century AD.
2.The reason the Romans liked to use lead in their pipes is because of the fact that its very easily mailable and has a low melting point. Lead can easily melt in a campfire.
3.The Romans sweetened and preserved there wine and other products with lead acetate(a crushed form of lead).
4.Even though the Romans knew that lead could cause serious health problems they continued to use it because of its numerous uses. They limited their exposer to it but they were not aware that frequent low level exposer could cause lead poisoning.
5.Miners that mined lead often fell sick due to their everyday exposer to lead. Romans used many slaves o mine the lead, many died.
6.Lead was the main ingredient in many face powder, mascaras, rouges, and other roman beauty products.
7.The Romans used lead in their paints. This contributed to the expression "crazy as a painter."
8.Romans boiled down their wine in pots to one half or one third it's volume. They used this syrup to sweeten and preserve things. When boiling the Romans much more preferred to use lead or lead lined pots because in their opinion yielded a better taste. This was do to the lead acetate that was formed during the boiling process.
9.The Romans named the condition of ones mood being gloomy and depressed most of the time due to the intoxication by the use or exposer of lead "lead saturnine." They did this because they linked the metal to their deity Saturn.
Lead poisoning Today
1.Today many in the USA are exposed to lead which causes lead poisoning. The two main ways people in the USA are exposed to lead are through lead based paint and lead contaminated dust. Also some come into contact with lead through drinking water running through old lead water pipes.
2.There is no safe level of lead. Any amount is harmful.
3.4 million households have children living in them that are being exposed to lead. About 500,000 of those children live in the USA.
4. 5 micrograms of lead per deciliter in a child's blood is the amount announced by the CDC that is significant enough to offer aid and to have a worker come and identify then fix the source of lead contamination.
5. In addition to completely lead plumbing pipes used in very old houses there are brass or other metal pipes joined together with solder containing lead. Solder containing lead has been used in more recent houses than completely lead pipes.
6.Soil in areas near old smelting factories can contain high amounts of lead because of toxic lead dust that has fallen to the ground over years of the factory smelting lead and other metals.
7.Because much of the lead contamination in USA water supplies comes from old lead pipes or old pipes with lead solder, if we could replace the old pipes with new pipes that do not contain any lead we could eliminate the major source of contamination.
8.Many sources of lead contamination today come from old houses painted with lead paint. To get rid of lead paint it needs to be sanded away and have all the debris vacuumed and stored to be taken away to a safe storage area. Then a lead test needs to be done to determine if the house needs further cleaning. If not then the house must be restored then the family can move back in to a house.
9.Many use carbon water filters to try to filter lead out of their water.
Email to Dr.Hornung
Dr.Hornung,
Hello, my name is Noah Breitenbecher and I am a seventh grade student at Nagel Middle School in Cincinnati Ohio. In our Social Studies class we are doing a project were we research an ancient roman problem, and how the problem exists today. After we research the problem we have to come up with a solution to the problem I have been assigned For this assignment I have been assigned the problem of ancient Roman lead poisoning. I understand that you specialize in the assessment of environmental exposer to different stimuli and chemicals. I have a few questions about how people are exposed to lead today.
1.Out of the different ways people today are exposed to lead, which source of contamination is the most common?
2.What are the main ways to help eliminate exposer to lead after you know the source of it?
3.How common are cases of lead poisoning today, relative to other types of environmental poisonings?
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Noah Breitenbecher
Reply
Hi Noah
I think you were given a very interesting topic. I'll try to answer your questions, but I suggest that you also get additional detail from the web. There are a lot of good sources: Wikipedia, US EPA, etc.
Q1: The most common source of lead exposure is from dust and chips from lead-based paint. Lead in paint was banned in 1978, so the primary exposure is to children living in homes built before that date. Pre-school children, especially toddlers, are at highest risk since they tend to put everything in their mouths. Other sources of lead exposure include soil, water (from lead pipes), imported toys, dust in the air. Primary exposure to adults comes from the workplace (battery recycling, manufacture of products containing lead) and indoor firing ranges.
Q2: Lead in the home can be controlled by repainting with non-lead paints and renovation of older homes. However, much care must be taken when renovating since lead dust in the air can actually be increased by sanding and removal of walls painted with older lead-based paint. Parents should be very careful when purchasing toys imported from China and other countries that still permit lead in paint.
Q3: Lead poisoning is still fairly common with as many as 5% of young children with blood lead levels exceeding the federal guidelines. This is a particular problem in the inner city because the homes tend to be older and still have lead-based paint. This level of exposure does not cause acute effects, but can result in reduction in IQ and behavioral disorders. Acute poisoning symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, headaches, and even seizures are caused by much higher levels of lead exposure and thankfully are not very common.
I hope this helps with your project.
Good luck,
Rick Hornung
Email to Kimberly Yolton, PhD
Dr.Yolton
Hello, my name is Noah Breitenbecher and I am a seventh grade student at Nagel Middle school. In our social studies class we are doing a project where we are assigned a problem in Ancient Rome and have to research it as a problem then and a problem now. After we research the problem we have to come up with a solution to the problem. I have been assigned the problem of lead poisoning. I understand that you specialize in environmental exposer along with infant and child behavior and development. I have some questions about how lead poisoning is a problem today.
1.I know that lead poisoning has a stronger effect on young children. Does the age of the young child have an effect on how dangerous being exposed to lead is? For example both an infant and a two year old are at higher risk of negative effects of lead poisoning than an adult, but does the infant have an even higher chance of stronger negative effects from being exposed to lead?
2.At the most common rate of lead poisoning, how long does it take to have noticeable side affects from the lead poisoning?
3.What is the best way to protect yourself from lead poisoning?
Thank you so much for your time.
Sincerely,
Noah Breitenbecher
Relpy
Dr.Yolton
Hello, my name is Noah Breitenbecher and I am a seventh grade student at Nagel Middle school. In our social studies class we are doing a project where we are assigned a problem in Ancient Rome and have to research it as a problem then and a problem now. After we research the problem we have to come up with a solution to the problem. I have been assigned the problem of lead poisoning. I understand that you specialize in environmental exposer along with infant and child behavior and development. I have some questions about how lead poisoning is a problem today.
1.I know that lead poisoning has a stronger effect on young children. Does the age of the young child have an effect on how dangerous being exposed to lead is? For example both an infant and a two year old are at higher risk of negative effects of lead poisoning than an adult, but does the infant have an even higher chance of stronger negative effects from being exposed to lead?
Young children are more vulnerable to the effects of lead as well as other environmental toxicants for several reasons. First, they are lower to the ground, where most of these toxicants collect on floors and other surface areas. Second, young children frequently put their hands and toys or other objects in their mouths. In fact, this is one way in which young children explore their environments and learn about their world. Third, young children have larger surface areas by weight than older children or adults. So their lung volume is greater, they drink proportionately more water and other liquids, their skin covers a larger surface area, etc. this just means there is more to become contaminated. Fourth, lead is a central nervous system toxicant. That means it acts primarily on the brain. Our brains grow and develop very rapidly when we are infants and young children. Because the brain changes so much during this period or development, it is also more vulnerable to insults and things that can change it.
According to the work done by lead researchers, children are most susceptible to lead exposure between the ages of about 12 months and 36 months. If you have seen children in this age range, you know that they are often crawling on floors, using tables and other surfaces for support when walking, and putting their hands in their mouths a lot. This is how most children become exposed to lead. Lead has a sweet taste, so children may even look for peeling paint chips once they have gotten a taste for them. More specifically to your question, the smallest infants, the ones who are not yet crawling around, in contact with contaminated floors and toys, and putting their hands in their mouths, are actually more protected from lead exposure because they are not exposure as readily.
2.At the most common rate of lead poisoning, how long does it take to have noticeable side affects from the lead poisoning?
This is a great question but very difficult to answer. Every child is different in how he/she will respond to exposure to lead. A friend of mine (Dr. Nick Newman) is a pediatrician who treats children with lead exposure. He uses high blood pressure as an analogy when talking with families. A person with high blood pressure is more likely to have a stroke, but it does not mean they will definitely have a stroke - ever. Lead exposure is similar. Being exposed to lead and having a high lead level means simply that a child is more likely to show the effects, not definitely.
As you probably know, lead levels are measured in blood. The Centers for Disease Control has recently lowered the “reference level” for lead to 5 micrograms/deciliter of blood. They previously used a “level of concern” that was 10 micrograms/deciliter. The use of the new the term “reference level” helps us understand that there really is no safe level of exposure to lead. Researchers have shown that the effects of lead exposure can even be seen in children with levels below this 5 microgram/deciliter level. The general rule is no lead exposure is the preference. Children whose levels are high in early childhood may not show signs until later. The effects of lead exposure typically show up more readily when children are in school. This is when they need to sit still and pay attention for long periods to listen to a teacher, follow specific directions, and use problem solving skills. Lead has been found to affect attention, learning skills, reading, thought and problem solving (cognition), and behavior in children and also in teens and adults. In fact, there are even very clear links between early lead exposure in childhood and criminal behavior in adulthood.
3.What is the best way to protect yourself from lead poisoning?
The absolute best way to protect children against lead poisoning is to avoid lead exposure! That sounds silly, I know, but prevention is possible. Children are usually exposed to lead in older homes with peeling paint or other types of deteriorating surfaces. The reason that older homes are problematic is that lead used to be included in paint. Lead was banned from paint in 1978, so homes built after that date are more likely to be free of lead-based paint products. Pediatricians often ask parents how old their homes are when they do a lead screening with their child patients. This is the main reason. As you may know, lead used to also be added to gasoline that was used in cars. It was then easily inhaled from the fumes of the cars. Lead was eliminated from gas in 1996. Because lead is a naturally occurring element that does not deteriorate, lead from gas and paint still lingers in the soil. When homes are tested for lead, they are usually inspected on the inside for peeling paint that may contain lead, and also on the outside for soil that may include lead-based paint chips or lead from gas. If we can make sure that homes are in good repair and that paint is stabilized, many of the problems with lead will disappear.
Thank you so much for your time.
Sincerely,
Noah Breitenbecher
This is the Strategic Planning sheet.
Roman Strategic Planning Googledoc
John Mathews
Dr.Matthews
Hello, my name is Noah Breitenbecher. I am a seventh grade student at
Nagel Middle school in Cincinnati Ohio. We are doing a project in our
social studies class, where we research a problem in ancient Rome and try
to come up with a solution to the problem. I have been assigned the
problem of lead poisoning in Rome. I understand that you specialize in
ancient Roman history and would like to ask you a few questions.
1.I have heard from several online sources that after a point in time the
Romans knew lead was poisonous to them, but continued to use it in
various
ways. Do you know to what extent that they knew that lead was poisonous,
and if they knew why they continued to use it?
2.Did the frequent cases of lead poisoning contribute to the downfall of
the Roman Empire?
3.In what ways did the Romans expose themselves to lead besides through
paints, beauty products, their lead water pipes, and through the
process by
which they boil their wine down to one half or one third the volume in a
lead or lead lined pot?
Thank you so much for your time.
Sincerely,
Noah Breitenbecher
Reply
Dear Noah,
I passed your enquiry on to my wife Veronika Grimm, who knows much more about this than I do. I am forwarding her reply. Good luck with your project.
Best wishes John Matthews
Dear Noah,
I wish you good luck with your project on the Roman Empire.
A few suggestions for your research: 1. Do not believe everything you
see on the internet. 2. Do your own research and thinking.
To start your research you should look up Vitruvius 8. 6. 10; Pliny the
Elder Natural History, 14.136, 32,68. These will give you a good start.
The Romans knew at least two metals or metal alloys that we translate to
English as lead: Plumbum Ater and Plumbum Album, the dark lead is
probably what we call lead; the white one is most likely tin, which is
not poisonous. Water pipes were most likely lead which soon was covered
- at least cold water pipes - with deposits from hard water, making the
water less harmful.
The Romans had no sugar, for sweetening they used honey (expensive) or
boiled down grape juice or wine. It was suggested by some Roman culinary
experts that this boiling should be done in lead-lined vessels. We do
not know how many people followed the gourmet advice, and even if they
followed it the defrutum, the resulting sweetener, was used in small amounts.
It has been suggested that lead poisoning contributed to the decline and
fall of the Roman Empire, I think you should reject this hypothesis.
The Western Roman Empire fell in the fifth century CE for a
great multitude of causes (lead not among them); The other half, the
Eastern Roman Empire lasted another one thousand years, with the same
exposure to lead. Moreover the various Gothic, Vandal, etc., kingdoms
that replaced the Western Empire emulated the Romans in their customs,
food, drink, baths etc.
The United States could be said to have suffered from serious amounts of
lead in house paint in car exhaust fumes etc. until the later part of
the 20th century, when unleaded gasoline was introduced (not without
loud opposition) and lead was eliminated from house paint. You may
wonder what all that lead did to us (and there is quite an extensive
literature on it).
A good historian learns early in his/her research career that life, that
is, history is very complex and there is no one cause solution to such a
monumental problem of what made a very successful and excellent empire,
one that all people admired and tried to emulate, totter and fall.
I do hope that I was some help to you
Best Luck
Professor Veronika Grimm (retired)